Cole Hamels has been pitching out of his mind lately, and for that, he has won the NL Player of the Week award. In the American League it goes to Felix Hernandez after his perfect game last week. Now onto tonight…

The Cincinnati Reds are in first place in the National League Central, while the Phillies are battling for third in the National League East. Monday will be their first meeting of the season.

Roy Halladay has been much better recently. In his last two starts, Doc is 2-2 witha 2.55 ERA. All Phillies pitchers will catch a break as Joey Votto is injured. Votto, the team’s best hitter, is working his way back from knee surgery.

Mike Leake has struggled against the Phillies in the few times that he has faced them. In 20.1 innings, Leake has a 6.64 ERA against the Philadelphia, as the lineup has a .291 average collectively against him.

Whenever the Phillies and Reds meet, Ryan Howard is a player to watch. For some reason, Howard tends to kill the Reds. He has a .276 average, 1.041 OPS, and 18 home runs in 50 career games against Cincinnati.

If these two teams decide to go 19 innings again, the Reds have Wilson Valdez this time.

Your Gameday Beer – HoegaardenThis was Phillies Nation’s featured beverage two years ago: the day Roy Halladay pitched his perfect game. With Roy Halladay on the mound tonight, it seems appropriate to relive that memory. In addition, with Labor Day Day approaching, good beer is a must. “I’ve always like Hoegaarden, which can be enjoyed in small sips with good food. It flows smooth and tastes like citrus. Have some barbecue chicken with it,” said former Phillies Nation writer Tim Malcolm.

Howard getting his power. Still needs to be watched and rested. Kratz has POWER! DBrown is playing pretty darn good. the power will come. Sorry to see Frandsen sit for Polanco. I think you have to have him in for Utley in at second. It’s evaluation time. IF we win fine, but 2013 is more important.

I wouldn’t call Juan Pierre the Phils MVP. I’d call him the player exceeding his pay his paycheck more than any other player, and a pleasant surprise to me. He’s a pro’s pro, who makes the best out of what he has. I hope he’s a Phillie next year as well.